Flooding turns California town into island
The worst flooding in over 20 years has turned the Northern California community of Guerneville into an island after authorities ordered residents to get out or risk being stranded for days.
Water rose to the roofs of homes on Wednesday as the rain-swollen Russian River overflowed its banks, forcing authorities in Sonoma County, 110km north of San Francisco, to evacuate 3600 people.
The nearby city of Santa Rosa got 11.8cm of rain, smashing its previous record of 4cm in a single storm, according to National Weather Service (NWS) data.
"We have not reached the peak yet," NWS meteorologist Carolina Walbrun said.
The Russian River had risen to over 13 metres by Wednesday afternoon, well over flood stage, and was set to crest at 14 metres by 9pm.
The flooding was set to be the worst since 1995, when the Russian River rose to 14.6 metre, and was caused by a so-called atmospheric river of moisture from the Pacific Ocean stalling over the county, Walbrun said.
"Guerneville is land-locked," the office of Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick said on Twitter. "You cannot get into or out of town. All roads leading to the community are flooded."
Residents got around flooded towns in kayaks, while boats and jetskis were deployed on the river to help with evacuations.
Australian Associated Press